Jiman or Just Really Crowded
by MissGuenever
Summary: A short dip into the Extra Cargo 'verse.  One night on Serenity toward the beginning of Extra Carge.  Too many people in too small a space.


**Jĭmăn. Crowded**

**A/N**: **RionaEire** here's a little dabble in the Firefly Extra Cargo Universe for you. **Jane0904** it isn't the AU you wanted; but, it is a happy moment on Serenity. **Gaben** and **Whereintheworld** thanks so much for betaing! You both rock. Thanks everyone for bearing with me on the Extra Cargo journey!

**Firefly * Firefly * Firefly**

Someday he'd take her. Someday he'd show her Shadow. He'd show his nǚ hair, daughter, where he came from. He'd take her back and show her what was left. Mal scrubbed his eyes, they were blurry from staring at Serenity's account books for too long. This job would take them into the black for a while and that was good.

Leaning back in his chair the Captain looked over at Caroline sleeping in her painted berth. She was clutching the china doll that her Jayne had given her, and Zoey, that raggedy stuffed horse she'd shown up with. Yeah, life was good. They had a job that was paying good money, cash money. Cash on the barrelhead as his mama used to say. And his bao bei, precious, little girl was snoring in her bunk. Yeah, life was good. They were still flying, still free.

Schoolin' was goin' pretty good for the little one. She didn't mind working with Kaylee, 'Nara, or Shepard Book most of the time. An' her fights with the doc were down; well, most of the time. Day before yesterday there'd been a really good row. Caroline'd been cryin' and screaming. The doc had thrown up his hands and left the dining room to calm down. Course that had been after his tao shen, naughty child, had called him all kinds of names switching from Mandarin to English, and even managing a few in Russian. Golensa had taught her well. Mal only remembered a few of the words that she'd used when they'd all been in tight spots; but, when he'd heard them coming out of Caroline's mouth he'd washed her mouth out with soap. And while he'd done that Serenity's Captain had remembered his ma washing his own mouth out with soap. She'd done washed it out with that nasty Castile soap. Still staring at his sleeping daughter, Mal shuddered in remembrance.

"Gwai-gwai long duh dong ? What the hell?" Mal muttered to himself. He ran his teeth over his tongue, and swore up and down that he tasted the soap his ma had used on his mouth when she'd caught him taking the Lord's name in vein.

Rubbing his hands across his face again he kept muttering. "Ching-wah tsa duh liou mahng. Frog humping son of a bitch. I NEED more sleep." Hopefully Caroline's nightmares would become less frequent soon. Mal couldn't remember the last time he'd had a full night's sleep. Last night River had cuddled up with her in the youngin's painted-up bunk and wouldn't leave. It had been a little creepafying; but, both girls had seemed to sleep pretty good. All looked tight for a good night's sleep.

Trouble was then he'd had to deal with Simon checking on his sister, Jayne checking to make sure that the fong luh, loopy in the head, person didn't hurt his Mini-Mal, Inara wondering if there was enough space for the two girls, Kaylee comin' in to see if she should read a good-night story, Jayne coming back in to see if Caroline needed a glass of water, Shepard Book comin' in… At that point Mal had thrown up his hands and given into the insanity that was Serenity.

Against all his wish's Jayne had slept in their cabin in a blanket on the floor. Simon had taken Mal's bunk, and then he'd had to explain the crowd to the Shephard and as the doc phrased it in that prissy-ass manner of his had said "I will not my sister sleep in there with that… That… That monster." Jayne had just stared at the doc and grunted.

At which point the Shepard had given the Captain his 'Special hell' look; and ensconced himself in Mal's chair. Which had Kaylee done giv'n up her spot moving to the floor and curlin' up with Mal's pillow near the bunk they'd carved out for Caroline; she'd been reading 'Goodnight Moon' to the little girl.

_"Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon. Goodnight light, and the red balloon..."_

The small room done got real crowded, Caroline and River in his little girl's bunk, Simon leaning against the bulkhead, Jayne on the floor right next to him, Kaylee in the corner with Simon's electronic reading thing, and the Shepard in his chair. When Inara came down the hatch a second time her only comment was "Oh, my. It is a bit crowded in here."

Mal rolled his eyes and watched as she gracefully climbed up the ladder her skirts hinting at what was underneath; but, never actually revealing anything. It had to be one of those blasted Companion-y skill things he thought as he rolled his eyes and had tried to get comfortable on the small bench that Caroline usually sat on.

Buddha, last night had been a long night. Maybe tonight he'd get eight or so uninterrupted hours of peaceful sleep.

Bao bei - Precious/treasure

Gwai-gwai long duh dong ? - What the hell!

Jĭmăn – Crowded to bursting

Nǚ hair – Daughter

Tao shen - Naughty child

**E/N**: Yes, I realize that Mal doesn't appear to overtly believe in a higher being. Or a God if that is your way. But, going off American history: The settlers that went west tended to have a strong belief in the Christian God; so it follows (in my mind) that the settlers that went to the new terra-formed planets would have a belief in a God or higher being. I'm choosing the Christian God; because it is the most familiar to me – and Book is Christian. So again I'm making an assumption that a lot of the planets in this system tend to some type of Christian belief. And I did a big chunk of a chapter on a Christian cross and spelling bee.


End file.
